A pastor with ties to Rimbey has been charged with sexual assault and sexual interference with two children under the age of 16.
Investigators with the York Regional Police Special Victims Unit – Crimes Against Children Section charged Richard Rose, 59, on Dec. 20.
According to Const. Laura Nicolle of York Regional Police, investigators started on Dec. 14 into a historical sexual assault of a now adult victim. Police say Rose allegedly assaulted the man in the Port Colborne area in 2017.
Rose is scheduled to appear in court in Ontario in Newmarket on Jan. 18, 2019.
Police say that Rose resided in the City of Markham from 1991 to 2015 and had access to children in multiple areas of his life.
“He had been employed as a pastor at a church in North York and managed a Markham hockey team,” said Const. Nicolle.
“There was also a home daycare operated out of his family residence in Markham. The accused also has ties to the areas of Montreal, as well as Rimbey, Alberta and Nova Scotia where he worked as a pastor. Investigators are releasing an image of the accused to ensure that there are no further victims.”
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A sexual assault includes any non-consensual contact of a sexual nature. York Regional Police encourages anyone who feels they may have been a victim of a sexual assault to come forward and report the incident to police. There is no statute of limitations for sexual offences and offenders can be prosecuted well after the date of the offence. If someone is not ready to report, however, is seeking support, please contact the Women’s Support Network womenssupportnetwork.ca, the Cedar Centre http://www.cedarcentre.ca/ or York Region Victim Services victimservices-york.org. Additional resources and information can also be found on our website http://www.yrp.ca/en/services/resources/sexualassaultsurvivorsguide.pdf.
Anyone with information is asked to call the York Regional Police Special Victims Unit – Crimes Against Children Section at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7071, or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS, or leave an anonymous tip online at www.1800222tips.com.
lisa.joy@stettlerindependent.com
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